Salt Lake City creates solar power information website

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's capital city has announced a new digital tool aimed at streamlining the path to solar energy use.

The tool, www.SolarSimplified.org, was developed with the goal of simplifying the solar process for all sectors, with the overall objective of reducing the time, costs and complexity of going solar.

The website was created by Salt Lake City and Utah Clean Energy, with contributions from Salt Lake County and the Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center, and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative's Rooftop Solar Challenge and the Wasatch Solar Challenge.

Local clean energy experts at Utah Clean Energy developed the website’s content, with senior policy associate Sara Baldwin at the helm of the project.

“Utah Clean Energy receives multiple inquiries about solar energy every week, and we understand it takes time and energy to track down reputable information,” Baldwin said. “We wanted to demystify and simplify the solar process with SolarSimplified.org, with the end goal of getting more solar installed more quickly.”

The new website features a Utah-specific solar return on investment calculator, which provides estimates on costs, benefits and environmental impacts of residential rooftop solar projects.

Additional resources for homeowners and businesses include a Utah solar contractor directory, step-by-step guidelines and a revamped solar resource mapping tool for Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County.

For building officials, fire officials and utilities, the website offers technical information on solar, including the latest solar reports, available solar trainings, frequently asked questions and resources on permitting and zoning.